Apache Lake Music Festival Announces 2014 Dates

Since it's the worst part of the summer right now, spending more than a few hours at an outdoor music festival, let alone an entire day, isn't something we'd recommend.

However, when late October rolls around (and Arizona feels less like Satan's grundle) whiling away an entire weekend in the great outdoors while watching bands perform is something we'd wholeheartedly endorse. And you can do just that at this year's Apache Lake Music Festival, which was announced earlier today.

Organizers of the annual two-day concert festival, which takes place on the shores of the 2,568-acre Apache Lake in the Tonto National Forest northeast of the Valley, posted on Facebook this morning that the event is scheduled for Friday, October 24, and Saturday, October 25.

It's the fifth edition of ALMF, and, much like in previous years, it will feature wall-to-wall local bands of the rock, indie, folk, and funk variety performing on an outdoor stage in a picturesque setting with gigs running from the early afternoon until after sundown or later.

As before, it will take place on the grounds of the Apache Lake Marina and Resort, and camping is available at $5 per carload for those who want to hang out the whole weekend.

Co-promoter Brannon Kleinlein, who also owns Last Exit Live, says it makes for one of Arizona's more distinctive music festivals, especially with its wilderness locale.

"I think the location and set up makes it unique. It really is a breathtaking setting with the backdrop to our main stage being the lake and massive canyon walls," he says. "It also is a great situation for campers who are able to set up tents right on the beach next to the water. The fact that its location is a bit of a drive on a narrow, dirt, and bumpy road makes it feel like an exciting adventure."

Although Kleinlein says that he's "confirmed a lot of great local acts" for ALMF 2014, the full lineup is still being finalized and should be announced in the coming weeks and months, as will ticket prices. In previous years, featured bands and musicians have included The Love Me Nots, Kongos, Senators, Mergence, Sister Lip, Prowling Kind, and Robin Wilson of Gin Blossoms.

When asked his thoughts on ALMF's fifth anniversary, Kleinlein says that while the event's proven to be popular with local music fans, he initially wasn't sure it was going to fly back when it first launched in 2010.

"I certainly had my doubts it would last this long just because of some of the difficulties early on in putting on the event. Because of its location and designation we have certain restrictions we must follow from the local sheriff's department, [the] National Forest Service, and of course the owners of the resort," Kleinlein says. "In the beginning we were a bit more nervous hoping that everything would go as planned without any problems or setbacks. All those agencies and the people at the Lake have been really great to us over the years and the most important thing is that our crowd is super respectful and grateful of the land."

Apache Lake Music Festival will take place on Friday, October 24, and Saturday, October 25, at the Apache Lake Marina and Resort.